• Part two of season three of "Bridgerton" premiered on Netflix on Thursday. 
• Season four has no release date yet, but historical romance books can make the wait easier. 
• You can start with "Romancing Mister Bridgerton" by Julia Quinn. 

The final four episodes of "Bridgerton" season three premiered on Netflix on Thursday after weeks of anticipation.

The steamy show brought Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton's beloved friends-to-lovers romance from the page to the screen, and it quickly became a fan favorite.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show accumulated 45.05 million views in its first three days on Netflix, making it the best opening weekend for "Bridgerton." And on Friday, Netflix and Shondaland announced that "Bridgerton" has brought over £275 million, or about $349.3 million, to the UK economy.

Despite its popularity, viewers will likely have to wait until 2026 for the show's next season.

While you wait for the Bridgerton siblings to return to Netflix, historical romance books may help pass the time.

From stories of marriage of convenience to enemies-to-lovers epics, check out some of the best books for "Bridgerton" fans.

"Romancing Mister Bridgerton" by Julia Quinn

If you can't get enough of Colin and Penelope's love story, you can read Julia Quinn's novel "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," which is part of the book series the Netflix show is based on.

Colin and Penelope are just friends at the start of "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," though they're older than they are in the TV series. At 28, Penelope has become a quietly wealthy spinster thanks to the money she earns from her Lady Whistledown column, and she still harbors a secret crush on Colin, a 33-year-old bachelor who has just returned from his latest world travels.

After Penelope discovers Colin has a secret writing skill, a new closeness develops between them. When Penelope asks Colin to kiss her in a moment of desperation, he finds himself drawn to her in ways he never expected. But Penelope is still keeping secrets, and she doesn't know how Colin will react when he discovers the woman haunting his dreams has been gossiping about him in the papers for years.

"Romancing Mister Bridgerton" is the fourth installment in Quinn's series about the Bridgerton family, so you may want to read "The Duke & I," "The Viscount Who Loved Me," and "An Offer From a Gentleman" before diving into the friends-to-lovers romance.

Find out more about this book here.

"Bringing Down the Duke" by Evie Dunmore

"Bringing Down the Duke" is the first installment in Evie Dunmore's "A League of Extraordinary Women" series.

It follows Annabelle Archer, one of the first women admitted to the University of Oxford in 1879. Annabelle is a scholarship student, and her financial support is dependent on her commitment to getting influential men to join the suffragette movement.

Annabelle doesn't know how she'll convince Sebastian Devereux, the Duke of Montgomery, to help her cause. His support is crucial because he directly influences the Queen's policies, but the removed Sebastian is more interested in finding a suitable wife than in women's rights.

Worst of all, neither Annabelle nor Sebastian expected the palpable attraction between them, threatening to derail everything they were both working toward. They'll have to see which is more powerful: their goals or their feelings for each other.

Find out more about this book here.

"The Davenports" by Krystal Marquis

If you love the ensemble cast of "Bridgerton," Krystal Marquis' "The Davenports" is the perfect addition to your to-be-read list.

Inspired by the true story of Charles Richard Patterson, Marquis' novel follows the family of William Davenport, a previously enslaved man who became a successful business owner with the Davenport Carriage Company. By 1910, his family is wealthy and secure, and his children — particularly his daughters Olivia and Helen — have become fixtures of high society.

When "The Davenports" begins, Olivia is set on marrying a suitable match until she finds herself drawn to Washington DeWight, a civil rights activist, while Helen can't stop thinking about the man who is supposed to be courting her sister, Jacob Lawrence. Meanwhile, the girls' former close friend and current maid Amy-Rose and Olivia's best friend Ruby end up in a love triangle with John Davenport, Olivia and Helen's charming brother, until Ruby falls for someone she never anticipated.

Full of heart and no shortage of romance, the first installment of "The Davenports" series can help to fill the gap left by the end of a season of "Bridgerton."

Find out more about this book here.

"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon

Like "Bridgerton," Diana Gabaldon's historical romance "Outlander" became a successful TV series. But unlike Quinn's works, her nine-book series comes with a side of magic.

When "Outlander" begins, former combat nurse Claire Randall is trying to find her footing after the end of World War II in 1945. In an attempt to find a new normal, Claire and her husband Frank visit the Scottish Highlands, but a walk through a stone circle sends Claire back in time to 1743 when war was the backdrop of Scotland.

Claire is desperate to return to her life, but to stay alive, she finds herself forced to marry the surprisingly kind warrior Jamie Fraser. As time passes, her reluctant marriage to Jamie becomes a passion Claire has never known. Will she return to her life in the future or take on an adventure in the past she never expected?

Find out more about this book here.

"The Magpie Lord" by KJ Charles

KJ Charles' "The Magpie Lord" has all the aristocratic fun of "Bridgerton" with the added flair of dark magic.

It's been two decades since Lucien Vaudrey set foot in London following his exile to China. But when his father and brother suddenly die, Lucien has to return to a life he never expected as the new Lord Crane.

But his earldom comes with the same adversaries his father had, leaving Lucien in danger of nefarious magic. He enlists the help of Stephen Day, a magician who can't stand the Crane family, to help him.

Stephen expects to loathe Lucien as he did his relatives, but to his surprise, Lucien is relaxed, tattooed, and clearly wants him. As Stephen's feelings for Lucien deepen, evil continues to invade the lord's home, putting them both at risk.

Find out more about this book here.

"Suddenly You" by Lisa Kleypas

Just like Penelope Featherington, Amanda Briars decides to take her sexuality into her own hands in "Suddenly You" by Lisa Kleypas.

As a 30th birthday gift to herself, the author and spinster Amanda decides to seek out a male companion so she can experience intimacy. So when Jack Delvin, a publisher who wants to work with her, appears on her doorstep, she assumes he's there for a very different reason, leading to a night of passion neither anticipated.

After their encounter, Amanda and Jack still have to work together, and neither can ignore their attraction. Will their different backgrounds keep them apart, or will love bring them together?

Find out more about this book here.

"The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels" by India Holton

If you want a romance like "Bridgerton" with a touch of darkness, "The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels" by India Holton will hit the spot.

Although Cecilia Bassingwaite looks like a demure Victorian woman, she's actually a thief. She uses her societal standing to swindle goods from England's upper class as a member of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels.

Assassin for hire Ned Lightbourne is tasked with taking Cecilia out for his boss, Captain Morvath, but everything changes when Ned lays eyes on her.

Cecilia and Ned have no choice but to work together to save the Wisteria Society from Morvath's wrath — drawing them closer and closer together.

Find out more about this book here.

"Rebel" by Beverly Jenkins

In "Rebel" by Beverly Jenkins, Valinda Lacy is making a new life for herself in Reconstruction Era New Orleans.

Originally from New York City, Valinda has big dreams of helping rebuild the city, but her hopes are dashed when ruffians make a target of her and the school she created.

Architect Captain Drake LeVeq steps in to help Valinda, who is immediately smitten with her. Drake finds everything about Valinda alluring, especially her independence, so he's devastated to learn she has a responsible fiancé to return to in New York.

But the more time Val spends in New Orleans with Drake, the less she wants to return to the life set out for her.

The first installment of Jenkins' "Women Who Dare Series," "Rebel" is exciting and steamy.

Find out more about this book here.

"The Duchess Deal" by Tessa Dare

The first installment in Tessa Dare's "Girl Meets Duke" series is "The Duchess Deal," a perfect story for fans of the marriage of convenience trope.

The Duke of Ashbury rarely leaves his home after the war, hiding the burns and scars he took home with him. But he needs to have a child, so he has to get married.

When his fiancée abruptly pulls out of the wedding and he spots his seamstress, Emma Gladstone, with the dress in hand, Emma agrees to step in and become the duchess.

The duke plans to keep Emma at arm's length, only visiting her bed at night to produce an heir and keeping his distance during the day. But that won't work for Emma, who insists they dine together every night. And the longer Emma is in the Duke of Ashbury's world, the more enamored she is.

Find out more about this book here.

"Ana María and the Fox" by Liana De la Rosa

Like "Bridgerton," Liana De la Rosa's "Ana María and the Fox" takes place during a society season in Victorian London.

Mexican heiress Ana María Luna Valdés ends up in London with her sisters when the French occupy her home country, giving her the first chance to see what life is like when she isn't under the watchful eye of her father. She can't help but notice Gideon Fox, a politician with ambitious plans to bring an end to the Atlantic slave trade.

Gideon is sure he doesn't have time for a romance with anyone, no matter how alluring he finds Ana. But he has no choice but to protect her when a rival politician makes advances on her — nor does he have a choice in the feelings he develops for her.

Find out more about this book here.

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is calling for social media to carry warning labels for its links to anxiety and depression among adolescents.

• Scooter Braun announced he's retiring from music management after 23 years.
• Braun is best known for guiding the careers of young stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.
• He also made headlines for buying Taylor Swift's back catalog, which led to an explosive feud.

After discovering one of this century's biggest pop acts, Justin Bieber, as a tween in the 2000s, Scooter Braun also became one of the music industry's power players — building a reputation as "a trailblazer who harnessed the power of social media to turn his artists into global brand names," according to Business Insider's Anna Silman.

On Monday, the music mogul officially retired from management after 23 years.

His announcement paid tribute to high-profile clients like Bieber, Demi Lovato, and Ariana Grande, all of whom severed ties with Braun last year. He will remain active as the CEO of Hybe America.

From his days working as a party promoter in Atlanta to his $300 million acquisition that got him on the wrong side of Taylor Swift, here's everything you need to know about Scooter Braun.

Scooter Braun, 42, was born in New York City and grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Braun's parents, Ervin and Susan, raised Scooter (real name Scott), and his siblings Adam, Sam, Cornelio, and Liza in the suburbs. In their household, sports like basketball, football, and swimming, were given priority, according to The New Yorker.

He was his high school class president at Greenwich High School, according to Atlanta Creative Loafing.

 

Scooter is a childhood nickname that just stuck around — and he hates it.

Scooter's parents named him Scott but everyone else in his life knows him by his nickname Scooter, which he was given while attending a first-grade birthday party.

"I hated it, and my brother found out that I hated it and kept calling me Scooter," he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012.

The nickname stuck, with the manager confirming that — with the exception of his parents — "pretty much everyone else calls me Scooter."

Braun said basketball played a huge role in his career.

Basketball was especially important in Braun's upbringing, he told The New Yorker.

His father Ervin founded an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team called the Connecticut Flame. In 1998, when Scooter was 17, the Brauns became the legal guardians for two AAU players who once played on the Mozambique national team — Sam Manhanga, then-15, and Cornelio Gouibunda, then-14.

"The game made me professional," he said of the real-world business values he believes he has because of it. "That I shouldn't be afraid of a full-court press. It's my fault when we lose; it's their victory when we win."

Braun attended Emory University, where he played Division III basketball and earned money by promoting parties.

According to Emory University, Braun hit the ground running when he got to Georgia.

The college student promoted parties at clubs around Atlanta. The events attracted high-profile guests like Usher and Ludacris.

Through his club promotion work, Braun got a job offer to run marketing at So So Def Recordings. He never finished his degree at Emory.

As Braun tells it, Jermaine Dupri approached the then-college student at an event and offered him the role of head of marketing at his label, So So Def.

Braun accepted, left Emory without a degree, and that was that, according to The New Yorker. 

After leaving So So Def, Braun took to alternative routes to finding work and new talent. That's when he stumbled upon little-known rapper Asher Roth on MySpace.

During an interview with Complex's "Blueprint" podcast, Braun said that when he was fired from So So Def, he had enough money to sustain himself and his two, then-unknown clients for 13 months.

Eleven months in, things were looking bleak; money was running low and his clients weren't quite having the luck he'd hoped for.

On a particularly hard day, he called his dad crying. And then, Asher Roth arrived.

"The next day Asher came in and played me 'I Love College,' and the publishing deal saved our company," Braun said. "It just shows you how close success and failure lie."

Around the same time, he found a young singer from Canada on YouTube. His name? Justin Bieber.

As a young teenager, Justin Bieber spent his time busking and sharing videos of himself singing on YouTube. Luckily, he caught the attention of Braun, who told The New Yorker that he pitched Bieber to both Usher and Justin Timberlake. 

Both men were interested in signing the young singer and reportedly engaged in a bidding war. But it was up to Bieber, who chose to be mentored by Usher and signed to Island Def Jam.

The rest was pop history.

Braun once said he considers himself a "camp counselor for pop stars."

While Bieber was his brand's flagship star for many years, Braun has been credited for guiding a long list of A-list artists.

Indeed, Braun seems to have a hand in every pot in the music industry, but especially pop music. He signed Carly Rae Jepsen after she broke out with the diamond-certified smash "Call Me Maybe" and began mentoring Ariana Grande when she was still a young actor on Nickelodeon.

Braun has also managed clients like Kanye West, Usher, Karlie Kloss, Tori Kelly, The Black Eyed Peas, and Martin Garrix, per his website.

In 2018, he branched out into film, forming Mythos Studios, which seeks to make movies based on comic book franchises.

In 2018, Braun teamed up with Marvel Studios' founding chairman David Maisel to create Mythos Studios, their own studio focused on creating comic book movies and franchises, Vulture reported.

At the time it was reported that the studio had three movies in development, "Fathom" and  "Soulfire" — based on the cult Aspen Comics properties — and "Cupid," which was slated to feature Justin Bieber as the titular character.

While the movies haven't made it to the big screen in the five years that have passed, The Hollywood Reporter said in May 2023 that "Cupid" is still in development (and Bieber is still attached). There have been no updates on the status of the other two movies.

Braun is also involved in philanthropy, including the March for Our Lives.

In 2017, Billboard called Braun "Music's First Responder."

He's organized events like the Hand in Hand ­telethon (co-sponsored with Bun B) to raise money for the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Along with his client Ariana Grande, he led the One Love Manchester benefit show for the victims of the terrorist bombing at her May 2017 concert in the UK city.

He also lent an organizational hand to the student organizers of the anti-gun violence protest, March for Our Lives, held in Washington DC in 2018, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Braun has a large stable of labels and companies. It briefly included Big Machine Records, which he purchased in 2019. He sold the label to the South Korean company Hybe in 2021.

In June 2019, Braun's company, Ithaca Holdings LLC, acquired Big Machine Label Group.

In the $330 million purchase, Braun gained control of Taylor Swift's first six albums, which she had released through the Nashville-based label before she signed a new contract with Republic Records.

Swift's master recordings made up $140 million of that valuation, according to Billboard. 

The following year, Ithaca Holdings sold Swift's masters to Shamrock Holdings for a reported $405 million, making Ithaca a $265 million profit, the outlet reported. 

In April 2021, it was announced that South Korean company Hybe had acquired Ithaca Holdings, including Big Machine, in a $1.05 billion deal. As part of the sale, Braun became Hybe America's CEO and joined the company's board of directors. 

Braun's purchase of Big Machine sparked an explosive feud with Swift, who said she was not given a fair chance to buy her own music.

Swift was a foundational client for Big Machine, which was founded in 2005.

A few hours after Braun's purchase of Big Machine was announced, the megastar wrote a blog post on Tumblr to express her disapproval. Swift said she'd tried to buy her master recordings for years but had not been given the chance.

Instead, Swift had said she was offered the chance to sign a new contract that would require her to create six more albums under the label in exchange for the masters of the first six, a term that she felt was "unacceptable."

Swift added that she was unaware that Braun — whom she described as an "incessant, manipulative bully" — would be the one to acquire her music until it was publicly announced.

"Scooter has stripped me of my life's work, that I wasn't given an opportunity to buy," she wrote. "Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it."

In no uncertain terms, Swift also decried Big Machine CEO's Scott Borchetta's role in the scenario. 

"This is my worst case scenario," she wrote. "This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term 'loyalty' is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says 'Music has value,' he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it."

Swift's post caused a ripple effect across the industry.

It seems like everyone had an opinion about the clash between Swift and Braun.

After Swift shared her post on Tumblr, Bieber fired back with a long Instagram caption defending Braun.

Hailey Bieber commented on the post, calling her husband a "gentleman." But Cara Delevingne commented that he missed the point and called Bieber out in the comments for "tearing women down."

Borchetta responded in a lengthy post of his own, denying Swift's account of the deal.

Demi Lovato, who was managed by Braun at the time, also called him a "good man" on her Instagram Story.

However, across the industry, many who were not managed by the mogul showed their support for Swift. Halsey, Iggy Azalea, and Todrick Hall (once formerly in Braun's stable), among others, spoke out in her defense. Meanwhile, Swift's public crusade for ownership inspired younger artists like Olivia Rodrigo to negotiate for more control in their record contracts. 

Swift went on to launch her "Taylor's Version" series — rerecordings of her first six albums — in an unprecedented move to reclaim her past works. She has continued to criticize Braun in interviews and has written several songs that allude to their sour relationship.

For his part, Braun said he "regrets" how he handled the situation with Swift's masters.

Last year, many of Braun's biggest clients parted ways with him. J Balvin, who signed with Braun in 2019, announced he was moving to new management in May.

The Columbian singer, best known for hits "Mi Gente" and "I Like It," has been managed by Roc Nation since his departure from Braun's SB Projects in May 2023, according to Billboard.

At the time, Justin Bieber was still under contract with Braun but was reportedly seeking new management.

The rumors of an exodus from SB Projects kicked off when Puck News reported that Bieber and Braun hadn't spoken in months. (This story was echoed by People.) Puck's Matthew Belloni reported that Bieber was "poking around for a new agency or manager."

Representatives for both Bieber and Braun initially denied the report, per Page Six, and sources confirmed Bieber was technically still managed by Braun. (According to Billboard, Bieber still had four years left in his management contract.)

Prior to their reported estrangement, Braun steadied Bieber's career through tough times, including his string of arrests for vandalism, dangerous driving, and assault, and periods of low mental health.

Demi Lovato dropped Braun as a manager, which sources described as an "amicable" and "mutual" decision.

Billboard broke the news that Lovato, who signed with Braun in 2019, was seeking new management after splitting with Braun sometime in July. A source close to the "Sorry Not Sorry" singer confirmed the news to Business Insider.

A source also told Variety the decision was mutual and amicable.

Mere days later, representatives for Carly Rae Jepsen, BabyJake, and Asher Roth confirmed to AP that none of them were still working with Braun "and haven't for quite some time."

It was then reported that Ariana Grande, another of Braun's biggest clients, had also dropped him.

Grande began working with Braun in 2013 ahead of the release of her debut album, "Yours Truly." She briefly fired the manager in 2016 before rejoining his team.

Amid the flurry of reports that Braun's empire was crumbling, Belloni revealed on X that Grande had left SB Projects.

Although sources close to Braun initially denied Belloni's report, Billboard, People, and Variety subsequently confirmed Grande's departure, calling the decision "her choice." Some attributed the change to Braun's lack of engagement, saying that he had stepped back from management duties in recent years.

After 23 years, Braun announced the end of his management career. He described himself as "a father first, a CEO second, and a manager no more."

Nearly one year after Bieber, Lovato, Grande, and more severed ties with Braun, the mogul said his time as a manager had come to an end.

Instead, Braun will focus on his role as the CEO of Hybe America — the entertainment group that reps K-pop acts like BTS, Seventeen, NewJeans, and more — and on raising his three children, whom he shares with his ex-wife Yael Cohen.

In a nearly 1,400-word statement posted on Instagram, Braun paid tribute to the many clients he shepherded over the years — even alluding to their widely reported mass exodus, which he'd previously only joked about online.

"It's a strange feeling because I think I have wanted this for a while, but I was truly afraid to answer the question 'who would I be without them?'" Braun wrote. "I was really just 19 years old when I started. So for my entire adult life I played the role of an artist manager on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And for 20 years I loved it."

"But as my children got older, and my personal life took some hits, I came to the realization that my kids were 3 superstars I wasn't willing to lose," he continued. "The sacrifices I was once willing to make I could no longer justify."

Braun said his plan to transition out of management was solidified last summer, when one of his "biggest clients" decided to "spread their wings and go in a new direction."

"We had been through so much together over the last decade, but instead of being hurt I saw it as a sign," Braun said, declining to identify the client in question. He added, "I always tried to take the high road."

• Harry Jowsey admitted he doesn't remember much of filming "Perfect Match" season 2.
• He said on his podcast, "Boyfriend Material," that he was drunk 90% of the time.
• He said he wasn't in the right headspace to be on the show because he'd just broke a 13-month sobriety.

Harry Jowsey may have made some bad decisions on season two of "Perfect Match," but he says he doesn't remember making many of them.

The reality star, who's best known for building a career as a YouTuber, influencer, and podcaster after appearing on season one of the Netflix dating show "Too Hot to Handle" and recently appeared on season 32 of "Dancing With The Stars," caught the ire of "Perfect Match" fans after he abruptly dumped his first partner, Elys Hutchinson, for "Love Is Blind" star Jessica Vestal. Then, in episode nine, his relationship with Jessica begins to fall apart after he's accused of kissing another contestant off-camera.

Addressing his behavior on his podcast, "Boyfriend Material," Harry acknowledged he made many "dumb decisions" but was not in the right mindset to film the show.

"I just want to preface that it was a year ago. At that time, I just broke my 13-month sobriety. I was going through a bit of a breakup. I was going through a hard time," Harry said.

He added that alcohol was a factor in his behavior on the show, and said he didn't remember much of filming it because he was drunk.

"I was absolutely sideways 90% of the time," he said. "There's a lot of conversations and things that we all see that I'm seeing for the first time and I'm like, 'Why did I say that? What is going on?'"

"If you look at my eyes, I look very drunk. I look like I've got problems, and I did have a lot of problems," he continued.

Harry recalled that he would joke about drinking shots instead of water and said he brought alcohol into the vans that would take the cast to the couples challenge locations.

"There was no limits with the alcohol, so we just kept going, and I realized that maybe there's alcoholic tendencies inside of me that were coming out like every day," Harry said, adding that he "lived a hundred different lives" since the series was filmed and would have made different decisions now.

It's not uncommon for cast members on a reality TV show to have unlimited access to alcohol, though some series like "Love Island" and "Bachelor in Paradise" have instituted limits on how many drinks a cast member can have each day or each hour in recent seasons.

Harry said he turned to alcohol instead of talking to Elys after his date in episode three.

On the podcast, Harry addressed his argument with Elys after he decided to dump her for Jessica in episode three.

On the show, Harry avoids speaking to Elys for most of the night after his date with Jessica, then tells Elys their relationship is going nowhere.

Harry said on his podcast that he felt the relationship was "stagnant," but admitted he should have spoken to Elys immediately that night.

"Harry today would have just bit the bullet and had that confrontational conversation," he said. "Harry back then was so afraid of conflict and confrontation that I was like, what would be great is if I just go get drunk and then figure it out later."

Harry said that he was drunk during his conversation Elys, so he "didn't know what was going on" but felt he needed to "follow my heart" rather than string her along.

"I was also a little bit drunk, and I want to tell her how I felt, and quite honestly, I look like a bit of a tithead in that situation," he said.

Elys responded to the podcast episode by sharing a TikTok video with the caption, "Imagine thinking releasing a podcast would be a good idea."

• The US Treasury and IRS are closing a tax loophole used by the uber-wealthy.
• They're cracking down on 'opaque' business structures that 'inflate' deductions. 
• The proposed regulations could generate $50 billion in fresh tax revenues, the agencies said.

The Treasury and IRS proposed new tax regulations Monday targeting the uber-wealthy that they say could result in $50 billion in fresh tax revenues over the next decade.

The initiative seeks to crack down on "related party basis shifting transactions" — or the use of "opaque business structures to inflate tax deductions," according to a Treasury press release.

This occurs, for instance, when a single company operating as different legal entities shifts the tax basis from a property that doesn't generate deductions to one that does, the agency explained.

The practice is contributing to the $160 billion annual tax gap among the top 1% of filers, the Treasury said.

Filings from pass-through businesses with more than $10 million in assets increased 70% from 2010 to 2019, the Treasury said, as audits fell from 3.8% to 0.1% over the same period.

The multi-stage initiative follows a year of research, the Treasury said, and proposes several new rules, including increasing reporting for basis-shifting transactions.

The agencies also issued a revenue ruling stating that certain transactions will be challenged for lacking economic substance.

"Treasury and the IRS are focused on addressing high-end tax abuse from all angles," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement, noting that "resources from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act" have helped combat "long-standing abuses."

The agencies said they will consider public comments before issuing final rules.

• Elon Musk shared some of his favorite podcasts and audiobooks on a recent livestream.
• He said he's "a big history guy" and named several including "The Explorers" and "Hardcore History."
• Here's the full list of recommendations he shared.

Elon Musk recently shared some of his favorite podcasts, and —spoiler alert — they're mostly on the subject of history.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO was asked for podcast recommendations on a stream on his platform X, formerly Twitter, last week.

"I like history podcasts in general," he said, according to one Tesla fan's recap of the 5-hour livestream. "I just generally love history. Any kind of narrative is just a story really, it's a story about reality or at least someone's perception of reality."

Musk named the "Explorers Podcast," which focuses on "the lives, explorations and discoveries of history's greatest explorers," according to its website. He's also a fan of "The Age of Napoleon Podcast," which is described as centering on "the life and career of Napoleon Bonaparte as well as the general context of Europe between the early eighteenth and early nineteenth century."

Dan Carlin's "Hardcore History" podcast — known for its "unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists," according to its Apple Podcasts page — is "probably my top recommendation," Musk said.

Musk also shared some of his favorites in another medium: audiobooks. He likes "The Story of Civilization" by Will and Ariel Durant as well as the Penguin edition of "The Iliad."

Musk has recommended several other books over the years, including sci-fi novels and books on artificial intelligence.

• Many Americans are struggling, but make too much money to qualify for social assistance.
• That's because the US poverty line is outdated, leaving behind workers who could benefit from help.
• Experts suggest modernizing poverty measures to reflect real costs and provide better access to aid.

Jason Hopkins, 43, has never made over $35,000 a year.

"If I made $45,000 a year, I would feel wealthy," the Illinois-based custodian told Business Insider.

Hopkins said he's lived paycheck to paycheck for the last decade. He's unable to save money from his income and doesn't go out; he buys a new shirt once a year. Existing like that is "draining," he said.

But he makes too much money for most forms of social assistance. This is a common predicament among Americans who are ALICE — asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed. Many forms of help are tied to the federal poverty line, which is calculated using a formula that has largely not been updated since the 1960s.

"The way we measure poverty is incredibly outdated," said Beth Jarosz, senior program director at the Population Reference Bureau, a nonprofit organization that conducts demographic analyses.

BI has heard stories from parents forced to choose between putting food on the table and supporting their children's education, older adults worried they will never be able to retire, childfree couples unable to access social services, and individuals concerned they will never be able to pay down debt.

These households could use more access to social assistance — but the US' poverty threshold is leaving them behind. If America modernized its way of measuring economic needs, millions of low-income families could better make ends meet. The real question is whether the US ever will.

The poverty line is calculated in an outdated way

The current federal poverty line for the 48 contiguous states and Washington, DC, is $15,060 a year for one person, $20,440 for a family of two, and $31,200 for a family of four. This does not vary by location or cost of living, but it's adjusted for inflation each year.

"Straight up, it is too low. It is not a sufficient way to measure how current families are doing," Kyle Ross, a policy analyst for inclusive economy at the Center for American Progress, told BI.

Per the most recent Census data, the official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5%, or about 37.9 million Americans. In 2022, 42% of Americans were below the ALICE threshold, the amount households need to cover their essential costs, according to research organization United For ALICE.

Mollie Orshansky, a government worker, originally estimated the federal poverty line formula in the 1960s using USDA data, which showed people often spent around a third of their income on food.

But that doesn't account for how Americans actually live. Americans now spend just around 13% of their income on groceries, as food prices have fallen relative to incomes and housing costs have risen disproportionately. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people spent 33.3% of their income on housing last year.

"With the way that costs have changed, the poverty measure that's just based on how much you're spending on groceries really does not reflect what people are paying for their expenses today," Jarosz said.

Over 30 government programs use the Department of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines — or higher percentages based on the federal poverty line — to determine eligibility criteria.

For instance, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is capped at 130% of the federal poverty line — which would be $2,694 in gross monthly income for a family of three — while the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is 185% — $47,767 a year for a family of three. Head Start, the National School Lunch Program, and parts of Medicare and Medicaid are among other programs relying on federal poverty line eligibility.

Notably, some outlier programs like Supplemental Security Income, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Section 8 low-income housing assistance do not rely on the federal poverty line.

"So much of federal policy, state policy is focused around the poverty level," Stephanie Hoopes, national director at United For ALICE, told BI.

That's all leading to an ever-widening gap of Americans who are technically in poverty but still aren't getting by.

"These thresholds have a cliff problem where they often become a trap where you have someone who is at a very low-income level and work because oftentimes programs have work requirements," Jarosz said. "Maybe over the holidays, they get an additional shift that they've picked up, and that bumps their income up just enough that they lose their Medicaid coverage that month."

That financial cliff has left people like Melinda Binkley, 56, "less than $100" away from receiving SNAP or rental assistance but struggling to keep a roof over her family's head in Stillwater, Minnesota. Ryan Arbuckle, 36, also doesn't qualify for government help on his IT job salary. He's a single father to five children near St. Louis and can barely afford groceries and utility bills.

Oleg Parubin, a 45-year-old security guard in Manhattan, makes $45,000 a year but struggles to afford insulin for his Type 1 diabetes and worries about eviction. Once he started making more at his job, he became ineligible for various benefits such as SNAP or reduced-fare transportation, which he estimates amounted to over $10,000 a year in lost benefits.

"I wasn't able to find an answer to how people can make it today, " Parubin said. "I just decided it is a faulty system, something is broken and doesn't work properly. But I still don't know what can I do."

To survive, these Americans who fall outside financial safety nets have resorted to selling plasma for extra income, skipping meals, and risking the loss of their electricity or water supply because of delayed bill payments.

"It really creates a lot of additional stress and burden on families in a case where having consistent benefits available to everybody would be much more efficient for society as a whole," Jarosz said.

There are better ways to calculate poverty

Though many experts agree the poverty line is outdated, it's still used to determine cutoffs for a slew of federal assistance programs, leaving people like Melissa Hedden behind.

Hedden, 41, has spent most of this year moving between Airbnbs and hotels in southeastern North Carolina with her partner and 11-year-old daughter. Her family's landlord raised the rent and evicted them last fall, and she can't afford the fees necessary to lease a new apartment. Still, her $3,300 monthly household income is too high to qualify for a rental voucher.

"I'm not homeless enough to get certain help because I have a roof over my head," she previously told BI. "But I'm too homeless to get a job because I don't know where I'm going to live in three weeks. What do you do?"

Much of the resistance to changing the federal poverty line could stem from the government's desire not to inflate the number of people in poverty overnight.

"No one really wants to be the politician that is behind an increase in poverty," Ross said, adding: "Even if it may be a more accurate representation of how Americans are really doing financially, it looks pretty concerning on paper."

Expanding eligibility would also mean that, intuitively, more people would receive assistance — and that could cost a lot more money.

"It can definitely be a costly measure to do that," Ross said. "I personally think that would be worth it; already, these programs are not meeting the needs of families as they are."

Other barriers to updating the poverty line are political. Congress would need to pass legislation in order to officially change the way the US measures economic need, or the Biden administration would have to step in, which would both be unlikely in such a polarized political environment.

Bills that expand social services and tax credits are also expensive and historically difficult to pass — most recently, with the expanded child tax credit being stalled in the Senate, and plans to expand Medicaid being blocked in multiple states this year.

Experts differ on how to fix poverty measures, but there is already progress on solutions

While researchers differ on how the poverty line should be tweaked, many agree it needs an overhaul.

"We know the poverty level is too low to reflect the true number of people who are in need," Jarosz said. "Is there really a need to have a threshold? Is there really a need to have a cap?"

And Ross said that even if thresholds don't change, programs could still work to eliminate many barriers to entry, like burdensome application processes — making them more accessible to people who do qualify.

Rep. Kevin Mullin, a Democrat from California, has introduced legislation — called the Poverty Line Act— that would modernize the federal poverty line, taking into account actual costs of goods and how prices differ across regions.

"The current poverty line is woefully out of touch with the realities that Americans face today," Mullin told BI in a statement, noting that the line doesn't account for how costs vary across the country — especially for key essentials like childcare and home rentals.

"Unfortunately, many working families make too little to afford their basic needs, yet because the federal poverty line is so low, they are not eligible for safety net benefits," Mullin added.

The federal poverty line probably won't be changed for some time, Jarosz said, given how many benefits programs rely on it. Still, there is precedent for programs providing more widespread boosts or sidestepping stringent eligibility and spending requirements.

The universal or guaranteed basic income model, which typically gives participants between $100 and $1,000 a month with no strings attached, has been tried over 100 times since 2019 and has helped thousands of households find housing and food security.

Unlike traditional social services like SNAP or Medicaid, participants can spend the money wherever they need it most. Basic income gives households an income floor, said Michael Tubbs, the founder and chair of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and former mayor of Stockon, California, which launched the recent wave of GBI pilots.

"The top benefit is the choice and the ability to have agency and to figure out how to use your money because we know that no one's smart enough to think for everyone," Tubbs said.

Hopkins — the ALICE in Illinois — has benefited from government assistance before. When the pandemic hit, he received enhanced unemployment benefits and a stimulus check — two measures that, unlike many other forms of social assistance, were widely available and not constrained by the federal poverty line.

For him, that unprecedented support meant he could buy a house with his fiancé and live alongside two other roommates.

"The only way I could afford the down payment on this house is from the expanded unemployment during the pandemic and the stimulus," he said. "If we didn't have this house, I don't know how we would live."

Do you make above the poverty line but not enough to meet your daily needs? Reach out to these reporters at jkaplan@businessinsider.com, nsheidlower@businessinsider.com, and allisonkelly@businessinsider.com.

• Giraffes have the longest necks of any living animal but scientists can't agree on why. 
• Scientists largely agree that males drove the evolution of long necks to compete for mates.
• But a new study offers clues to the contrary, challenging the leading "necks for sex" theory.

Giraffes didn't always look like the elegant giants we recognize — ancient giraffes looked more like deer. But something happened over the past millennia that drove giraffes to evolve the longest necks of any living animal.

What that driver was, however, has been the subject of a 150-year-long debate among evolutionary biologists.

In the 19th century, Charles Darwin and Jean Baptiste Lamarck suggested that giraffes evolved long necks to help them snatch leaves on trees. A later theory usurped Darwin and Lamarck's, suggesting that male giraffes evolved long necks to fight and compete for female mates. This "necks for sex" idea has been the leading theory since the late '90s. But that may soon change.

A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Mammalian Biology offers new clues to the debate that could prove Darwin and Lamarck may have been at least partially right all along.

Size doesn't always matter

Male giraffes have longer necks than females. For that reason, biologists have speculated that males drove the evolution of this physical feature.

Lead author of the new study, Douglas Cavener, wasn't entirely convinced. Yes, males have longer necks, but everything else on them is larger too, Cavener, who is a professor of biology at Penn State, told BI.

"I realized that the important question was, 'Do males have proportionally longer necks compared to the rest of their body?'" Cavener said.

So he and his colleagues — including his wife and daughter, who are co-authors on the paper — started to investigate. They estimated neck length from photos of adult Masai giraffes, a species of giraffe native to Tanzania and southern Kenya in East Africa.

They counted pixels in each photo of both captive and wild giraffes to measure various body parts including the neck, legs, and body trunk. When they crunched the numbers, Cavener and his colleagues discovered that the males fell short.

"What we found was pretty surprising, which was that females have proportionately longer necks than males, just the opposite of the prediction," Cavener said, adding that "it turns out that females also have longer trunks proportionally."

"So that kind of turned things upside down," Cavener said.

Why giraffes have long necks

Female giraffes give birth about every two years. Gestation takes about 15 months. So, that means they're pregnant or lactating most of their reproductive lives, Cavener said.

That requires a lot of energy. But female giraffes are picky eaters, so "they'll telescope their neck into a bush to really get" the best leaves, Cavener said.

Cavener said she thinks that because females are consistently in need of more energy and nutrition, this is what drove ancient giraffes to develop such long necks over millennia.

"It sort of goes back to Darwin and Lamarck's theory that this was likely driven by competition for food rather than for mating success. But the important twist is it puts the emphasis on females rather than males," Cavener added.

Cavener said this may be the first study to suggest that females, not males, are the reason for giraffes' long necks. That's important not only for understanding giraffe evolution but how male and female giraffes behave differently, which could help with conservation efforts.

"This study, for me, highlights the importance of understanding the different behavioral strategies used by males and females in their skills for survival," and how those strategies can drive evolution in a species long-term, Zoe Raw — a behavioral biologist and giraffe expert who wasn't involved with the research — told Business Insider over e-mail.

Cavener's study is part of a larger effort to help preserve the species. In 2015, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed Masai giraffes as endangered. Illegal poaching and other human interference have decimated the population. Hunting Masai giraffes is illegal in East Africa, but poachers still track them down for bushmeat and the purported health benefits in their bone marrow and brains.

While there's typically pushback anytime a new idea enters the conversation, Raw said the new study is convincing enough to challenge the leading "necks for sex" theory.

"Nothing can ever 'prove' what causes evolution, but as far as developing a robust and realistic, evidence-based theory, I think this paper has nailed it," Raw said.